Buying my first motorcycle help

[Heyitsadam17]

Hey everyone, i'm new here! I passed my Motorcycle training course at a local college this past year and have been looking into buying my first bike. I found a used 2008 FZ6 for sale for $2500 with 15,000 miles. I don't think it has any modifications but it does have a decent sized dent in the gas tank and a little scuff on the engine mount frame. Just wondering if this was a good deal. It's about an hour away.

I would be taking a friend along who has a year experience riding. Anything specific I should look for? I have not sat on one yet, will it be comfortable for someone about 6"2 170? Any tips are welcome too! Thanks!

 

[linus]

Adam. Welcome to the forum. Congrats on passing your MSC at your college. It's the smart way of getting your MC license and staying safe on the roads.

I purchased a 07 FZ6 with 2500 miles on it for $3000 last month down in North Carolina. So hope that gives you some idea of the prices of these bikes. Hey its only worth what someone is willing to pay for it Blah I am 5.8 and I can put my feet flat footed on the ground.

As far as what to look for. take some cardboard with you or a packaging box and flatten it out to place under the bike to check for leaks. Makes it easier to see any leaks. Do this after the bike warms up and after a ride. Turn bike off and on to make sure it starts up ok. Run hand under bike along oil plug and radiator to check for leak on a cold bike . After a ride or after the bike starts up don't use your hand as the bike gets hot. Test electrical (horn, lights, brake lights etc). Inspect tires for wear (gives you room to negotiate), inspect brake pads, brake lines. Check engine oil with dip stick (if low there maybe issues with burning up oil or the owner did not take do care of the bike).

Cosmetics is a personal thing. Inspect seat for tears and farings.

Biggest thing is to ask questions of the owner. How long owned, maintenance schedules, last maintenance schedule, any work done, any issues, clean title...

Hope this helps. Enjoy!

 

[Heyitsadam17]

Thanks Linus! That is a lot of really helpful information! Sounds like you got an awesome deal on your bike! I'll have to make sure to do all those tests if I go for a test ride!

 

[Motogiro]

:welcome: to this great forum!

Since the most important and central aspect of riding is you, make sure you purchase decent riding protection, Gloves, jacket,pants and boots. Oh yeah! You'll want a nice helmet

An expensive service on the bike will be the valve lash, I think the FZ6 is due at 24k miles. If the bike is past that mileage you'll want to know that this has been done.

 

[Paulie Myrus]

That sounds like a good deal to me!, you'll never regret buying an FZ6, i'm just a little over 6"2 and it fits me perfect!! 170 is a great weight for stock springs , i'm over 200, and it aint that bad, but will get new fork springs at some stage. Snap it up like a crocodile sand witch!!

 

[catzo]

Something else to add, its not really a factor in whether you buy the bike or not, just a safety issue. Since you or your friend is going to be riding the bike for an hour back, check the tire pressure before setting off. Often in the few months before an owner sells a bike they stop riding and let tire pressure slip.

 

[raja777m]

As far as what to look for. take some cardboard with you or a packaging box and flatten it out to place under the bike to check for leaks. Makes it easier to see any leaks. Do this after the bike warms up and after a ride...

We can inspect the place where the owner parks the bike everyday, for leaks.

[MENTION=12717]adam[/MENTION]:
When you test ride the bike, make sure all the gears shift through smoothly.
Check with the owner how often does he ride the bike, when was this bike taken for a ride.

BTW, you mentioned scuff on engine mount FRAME; I would like Scott/ someone similar, to chime and shed some light on this.

 

[YamahaKid98]

Check for wear and tear items. I'm used to coming from dirt bikes are hammered on much more so I would go through my purchases with a fine tooth comb. Check wheel bearings, chain, sprockets. Another thing is the fork seals. If they are dripping, could be bad seals, or the owner popped too many wheelies and came down hard and blew them out. I picked my FZ6 up this passed fall. Mines a 2005, one owner, 14,000 miles. I got it for $2700 I believe. Bike was in immaculate condition. Of course when I went to check it out it didn't start because the battery was dead. Turns out the battery was original and just old. He dropped from 3,000 because of the battery. Don't be afraid to haggle and offer less upfront.

Sent from my 710C using Tapatalk

 

[Heyitsadam17]

Thanks everyone for the helpful comments! I will definitely do all those checks that you guys mentioned. I did just do an Auto Check on the bike and it said the bike had 7 previous owners which sounds a little bad.

I also talked to the seller and it is co-signment from a bike shop, and unfortunately couldn't get a lot of information on maintenance history, however he mentioned the fork seals may be leaking, I also wouldn't be able to do a test ride. He did say if I rode it and hated it I could get my money back. The bike does come with a center stand so I could still click through the gears. Title is all clear besides the 7 owners issue, but i'm not sure if Autocheck can decipher between renewals and new owners.He did say the lien was paid of as well. Heres the link to the autocheck if anyone is interested.

https://diigo.com/08bd81

 

[dschult2]

7 owners, dent in tank, scuff on frame, possibly leaking fork seals and who knows what else is leaking, won't let you on a test ride (do you have cash in hand?, sometimes that matters). All red flags and I would run away! If your budget is $2500 you can find one a year or two older which will be in much better shape. Those bikes run forever if properly maintained which I'm not sure this has been. Be patient and don't make a rush decision just because riding seasons coming up. There will be others out there.

 

[Red Wazp]

7 owners, dent in tank, scuff on frame, possibly leaking fork seals and who knows what else is leaking, won't let you on a test ride (do you have cash in hand?, sometimes that matters). All red flags and I would run away! If your budget is $2500 you can find one a year or two older which will be in much better shape. Those bikes run forever if properly maintained which I'm not sure this has been. Be patient and don't make a rush decision just because riding seasons coming up. There will be others out there.

Agree...walk away from this one. Keep shopping as the best deals are in the fall or winter.